I’m not a morning person. In fact, there’s a little piece of me that immediately sighs as soon as I hear the alarm in the morning.

No matter how much sleep I’ve had before, I just don’t like getting out of bed. If I could, I’d spent an entire day just lounging around but sadly life doesn’t work that way. From Monday to Friday, I have to get up at a specific time to work and earn those coins. Even though I’m not a morning person and I dread hearing that iPhone alarm tone in the morning, I still think it’s really important to start the day on a good note and try to get up on the right side of the bed. It’s really easy to write the whole day off and just decide the day’s going to be a bad one, but I have a little morning routine that has helped me to start the day right and… awake.

01. Rise Slowly

As I’m not a morning person, I really don’t like getting up. I can’t stress how much of a night owl I prefer to be. However, I know I need to get up, so one way to do this without hating every minute of the day is to wake slowly. My alarm goes off at around 06:45 every morning, and I immediately turn it off and sit up in bed. I used to look at my phone, but that could keep me in bed for hours. Instead, I just sit up and actually give my body time to come around before jumping out of bed and immediately feeling like I have no energy. If I really allow myself to wake up, I already feel better.

02. Hydrate

An essential. It’s important to stay hydrated throughout the day, but I make sure to drink plenty in the morning to wake myself up. There’s always a glass of water by my bed, but I also like to sneak downstairs and make a cup of herbal tea to drink while I get ready. The benefits of keeping hydrated are innumerable! Water prevents dry mouth, keeps your body cool, keeps skin supple, cleanses your body, and so much more. The human body is 70% water, so why not keep topping up?

03. Stretch

I’m not into yoga, but I do think it’s really important to stretch on a morning. As mentioned 300 times previously, I’m not a morning person so I do as much as possible to keep awake and refuse to fall back into bed. Stretching before and after getting out of bed has made a huge difference over the past few months, I’ll never skip this step again. Stretching increases blood circulation and reduces tight muscles which increases flexibility. When I stretch in the morning I automatically feel ready for the day, almost like a mini-workout without the effort.

04. Make Your Bed

I can’t leave the house without making my bed. Even if I’m running an hour late, the bed must be made. It’s of the utmost importance. Every other aspect of my life could be falling apart but when my bed is made, I feel like at least one thing is going my way. Making your bed means you’re less likely to get back in it to mess it up; it almost forces you to start the day because you’re already up so you may as well. Adding this quick and easy step to your morning routine improves your surroundings and mood in a matter of seconds.

05. Get Some Air

This doesn’t always mean walking outside in your stained PJs and morning hair. Now that we’re in the middle of summer (and the weather is still pretty decent), getting some fresh air in the house will help improve the day immediately. I tend to forget the natural benefits a pocket of fresh air or some warm sunshine can have on my mood but it makes an enormous difference. I feel a little groggy in the morning, so opening a window just lets new air into the room and wakes up the body. If I don’t manage to open a window on a morning, having breakfast outside in the peace and quiet is like a little slice of paradise.

06. Eat Well

I recently starting incorporating a healthier breakfast into my morning routine. We’re always taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I always just assumed that meant eating something in the morning. But over the last month or so, I have start swap a sugar-filled cereal for a bowl of yogurt and fruit (especially now that it’s summer and I’m always more inclined to eat healthily in the summer). I’ve noticed an enormous difference in my energy levels and mood in the morning. It doesn’t mean getting rid of sugar, but switching artificial sweeteners for natural sugars found in fruits.

07. Think Positive

I’m always preaching about thinking positive on my blog because I truly believe it has a wonderful effect on our brain and overall mood. If I wake up thinking I’m going to have a bad day, I’m most likely going to have a bad day. A yes, every so often a bad day does pop up, or I go through the entire morning with things going wrong, but throwing a pity party for myself doesn’t make it any better (I learned this the hard way). Thinking positive is the number one way I start the day on the right note, it improves my level of motivation and I’m sure it makes me much easier to deal with!

08. Eat the Frog

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” – Mark Twain.

Eating the frog is completing that one item on your to-do list that you may have been avoiding for a while, or already know you don’t want to do. It’s a task that would normally cause you to procrastinate, but you’re deciding to take it head on and get the worst bit out of the way. I’m a natural list-maker, and make an active effort to eat the frog in the morning so it’s no longer on my mind and ruining the rest of the day.